Reagan County Jail is in Big Lake, Texas 76932 at 320 N Plaza Avenue. The jail can be contacted at the phone number (325) 884-2424. The inmate capacity at Reagan County Jail is 96. Jail operations are among the responsibilities of the Reagan County Sheriff.

All Texas city and county jails must be run according to the minimum jail standards established by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS). The enforcement of those standards is achieved largely through annual jail inspections. For non-compliant jails, there is added oversight, including at least one additional jail inspection. When issues arise indicating that something might be missing in the rules of jail operations, TCJS has typically responded by conducting studies and making necessary changes.

Restraint Chairs

TCJS has approved using restraints in Reagan County Jail when inmates behave in a manner that poses a threat to their own safety or the safety of others. One type of TCJS-approved restraint is a restraint chair.

A study of custodial deaths throughout the U.S. found that an increasing number of inmates were dying in or upon release from restraint chairs. As a result, some jurisdictions in the country have outlawed them. That same action has not occurred in Texas. However, during jail inspections, observation records and documentation related to inmates in restraints are carefully scrutinized.

A jail standard that seemed to need greater scrutiny across the board in Texas was ensuring the required face-to-face observations of inmates in restraints as well as inmates considered to be otherwise at risk. As a result, TCJS did extensive research and ultimately required all city and county jails in Texas to install electronic equipment that would verify whether required observations actually occurred.

This site’s posts are provided to assist Texas inmates and their families. There is never an intention to infer impropriety on the part of an entity or person.

–Guest Contributor